Bologna, Italy | April 20, 2017– Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport is offering passengers new self-service convenience when checking in their baggage with the introduction of SITA’s Scan&Fly bag drop units. Passengers can now check in their own bags in less than a minute, resulting in fewer queues and a better passenger experience overall.

Bologna is the first Italian airport to install SITA’s Scan&Fly units. The new bag drop units will initially be used by low-cost carrier Ryanair before being extended to other airlines. Bologna Airport is a fast-growing hub for Ryanair with more than 20 destinations and 170 flights a week.

SITA is a global provider of award-winning bag drop solutions. Airlines and airports globally have welcomed the high-quality interface of Scan&Fly, the ease of its retro-fit and the ability to fully integrate with the SITA AirportConnect common-use platform.

Nazareno Ventola, CEO & MD of Aeroporto di Bologna, said: “Our passengers value the convenience of self-service technology from a customer experience point of view. From the airport’s perspective, Scan&Fly helps improve the passenger flow through the airport terminal, facilitating our rapid growth. The self-bag drop units are the latest in a series of options we have been developing recently, aimed at providing a smooth, effortless travel experience to all our passengers, with a direct benefit for our airlines’ operations.”

In 2016 Bologna Airport was the fastest-growing airport among Italy’s 15 busiest airports, with almost 7.7 million passengers. Over the last eight years, the airport has grown its passenger volumes twice as fast on average than Italy’s overall passenger growth.

Dave Bakker, SITA President, Europe, said: “An increasing number of airlines and airports globally are recognizing the benefits that self-bag drop can bring to passengers as well as their own operations. The ability to quickly and securely check-in your bag is just one of the ways we can help airports streamline the passenger process using self-service, from the moment they check-in to when they arrive at the destination.”

SITA has for more than a decade supported Bologna Airport with new technology. Earlier this year SITA introduced SITA’s iBorders® BorderAutomation ABCGates, providing passengers with a smooth, self-service experience through immigration.

The modular design and intuitive user interface of SITA’s bag drop unit has judges sold

Geneva | March 13, 2017– Drop&Fly, SITA’s bag-drop unit, has been awarded the prestigious 2017 iF Design Award: Public Product, in recognition of its state-of-the-art design and intuitive user interface.

Drop&Fly provides passengers with an easy-to-use interface which makes checking-in bags a convenient and pleasant experience. Its one-step self-bag drop process, which allows passengers to print their tags and check-in their bags at the same time, delivers a fast, customer-centric passenger experience. It is fully customizable to the individual needs of the airport and its hybrid functionality enables a switch from self-service to an agent-assisted mode in a matter of seconds.

The iF Design Award, recognized as a symbol of design excellence around the world, confirms SITA’s expertize in matching form and function.

Matthys Serfontein, Vice President Airports at SITA, said: “Design was fundamental to SITA’s Drop&Fly solution, delivering both operational efficiency and a great passenger experience. Our understanding of the passenger process was instrumental in building a product that is fit for purpose. The compact and modular design makes it fit seamlessly into any airport in the world.”

Unique design features of Drop&Fly include LED lights that guide passengers through the bag drop process while the ultra-low conveyor belt allows passengers with heavy bags or in a wheelchair to use the bag drop unit. The fully enclosed design features a sliding door and advanced sensors to prevent tampering for a safe and secure bag drop.

Drop&Fly is part of SITA’s broad portfolio of bag drop solutions, that ranges from one or two bag drop units to a more comprehensive approach that can transform an entire airport terminal. More than 225 units have already been installed in 40 airports and their sleek design continues to attract the attention of airport operators around the globe.

• Rockwell Collins’ acquisition of Pulse.Aero expands the company’s strong passenger processing offerings beyond agent and self-service check-in to include new applications and services.

Annapolis, MD | January 4, 2017– Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL) has acquired Pulse.Aero Limited, a UK-based company specializing in self-service bag drop solutions and airline applications, to enhance the company’s passenger processing services for airports and airlines. This acquisition further expands Rockwell Collins’ Information Management Services strategy to enable the connected aviation ecosystem.

“As passengers seek to take more control of their travel experience, this acquisition expands our portfolio of self-service passenger processing solutions, enabling us to streamline and simplify the passenger journey through a fully connected airport”
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“As passengers seek to take more control of their travel experience, this acquisition expands our portfolio of self-service passenger processing solutions, enabling us to streamline and simplify the passenger journey through a fully connected airport,” said Dave Nieuwsma, senior vice president, Information Management Services for Rockwell Collins.

Pulse.Aero’s products and services will be integrated into the Airport Systems portfolio of Rockwell Collins’ Information Management Services business.

The self-service bag drop market is experiencing significant growth due to the benefits it provides both airports and passengers. Airports can increase passenger throughput without capital expenditure on building and facilities, and passengers can move through the airport check-in process more quickly and efficiently.

Rockwell Collins and Pulse.Aero have worked together on several successful deployments, including Dublin Airport, where new self-bag drop units were installed, reducing queue times and improving customer service.

Watch a video to see how Rockwell Collins’ self-bag drop solution has impacted Aer Lingus’ operations at Dublin Airport: https://youtu.be/OG_4zANwLXo.

• Air.Go On was designed for ergonomic use by people of all physical dimensions
• Air.Go On can process a passenger’s bag in roughly 10 seconds
• Air.Go On uses proven software/control platforms developed by DSG BagDrop

Aalborg, Denmark | June 7, 2016– The number of annual passenger journeys is set to hit the 7 billion mark by 2035. Airlines, airports and the air transport supplier community are keenly aware of the role technology will play in improving the flow of people through crowded terminals, and creating a positive travel experience.

At the same time, airlines and airports are learning there is no such thing as an “average” airline passenger, or a “typical” day of travel. Research shows that today’s traveller craves choice and control throughout his or her journey, and is increasingly receptive to technology that facilitates these freedoms.

With its head office located directly in the passenger terminal at Aalborg Airport, airport product design firm
Marcus Pedersen Airport Interior Solutions stays close to the travelling public, airlines, personnel and service
providers to collect intelligence, inspiration and honest feedback for all its products.

The company’s latest offering, Air.Go On, is the first height-adjustable, self-service bag drop solution to enter the
market, and is a quick retrofit to any existing airport counter. Air.Go On has ease-of-use built right into its DNA.

“Creating an ergonomically correct unit was incredibly important to us,” says Niels Marcus Pedersen, CEO of When we started sketching the product, we placed it on the counter where you would normally put a retrofit bag drop. It was too low to be ergonomically correct for average users. So
we tried taking it up higher, but then it was too high for small or seated persons, and (on days when the desk was being used for manned assistance) it was blocking the airline employee who sat there.”

Some airports employ a separate bag drop solution for persons of small stature or those with physical disabilities, but the designers at Marcus Pedersen want to eliminate this practice.

“We think that all passengers should be treated as equals, and the airports and airlines we’ve spoken to feel the same way,” Marcus Pedersen continues. “When we ask someone to use a different area and special equipment, the message we send is not a positive one.”

Inclusivity aside, the height-adjustability of Air.Go On serves a second important purpose: creating a visible difference between “on” and “off” mode. When a unit is not in use the display screen goes dark, or can display luggage weight, and reverts to the lowest position (see diagram below, measurements are in millimeters). When it’s active, the display rises up – almost becoming a substitute for the person at the counter.

On the advice of airport maintenance staff, Air.Go On features rounded edges and is clear of dirt-collecting screws
or bolts. A powder-coated steel front and brushed stainless steel sides mean Air.Go On is highly durable and can be
finished in any colour combination. Contoured at optimal screen-viewing angle, the units have only two buttons
(for up/down height adjustment) and only one step is presented on the digital touchscreen display at a time. This enables a fluid user experience and leaves no room for error.

Staff monitoring the self-service bag drop area can rely on indicator lights at the top of the unit (universal red,
yellow and green indicators) as well as a connected mobile device, to observe and help out with any issues. Behind
the scenes, airport management have access to a comprehensive dashboard with detailed statistics and real-time data on the flow and performance of the bag drops.

“Installation of this retrofit solution is very easy,” says Marcus Pedersen. “We add a bracket to the front of an existing counter. Then we hang the Air.Go On, connect to the luggage conveyors, and we are up and running.”

Air.Go On is just the latest in the Air.Go family of forward-thinking self-service bag drop solutions from Marcus Pederson and leading self-service bag drop and software provider DSG BagDrop (now part of MATERNA Group).